68 Ch 66 Moonlight
(Back At Kattegat)
Hilrae stood over the corpse of yet another victim to the disease which had been Ravaging Kattegat.... Little did she know that the rest of the world was suffering the same fate.
The disease was the strangest Hilrae had ever seen in her seventy five years.
The wretched disease would begin suddenly, A fever which would see the person bedridden within two or three days....then a bloody cough which weakened the person further.....then they'd have trouble even breathing, almost like they had lungs full of metal shavings.
After that they would simply die from weakness which was becoming a common occurrence lately.
The villagers of Kattegat also noticed that none in Thenn's Family became ill with the terrible disease which laid waste to many.
This immunity from the Gods was also reinforced by a few of the slaves from the Great Hall which had contracted the sickness and died within days.
Hilrae had done her best to diagnose and treat any person affected yielded poor results, about thirty percent of those who showed the symptoms died.
She requested Althea issue an order for people to remain in their homes and stay separated to stop the spread of the disease as much as possible and it the disease was slowed slightly but deaths still continued at a slower yet steady pace.
Hilrae only hoped Thenn would return soon, she knew that once he returned a miracle would occur from the hands of that huge brute.
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(Elsewhere, One Day Later)
Aslaug and her guards rode toward our fortified camp on horseback.
It was at that moment when the Shieldmaidens saw my much larger force of fearsome Viking Warriors, each was worth several normal men and their aura of danger was felt by each woman.
The shield maidens thought back to yesterday and were thankful they'd not killed the two men yesterday since they had no idea they had been part of a group such as this.
The Shieldmaidens noticed all of them wore fine heavy armor, their battered helmets and shields showed the that each man had been in countless battles..... Truly worthy of the tales sang about them by the Skalds.
Aslaug's Captain Hilf rode closer to the entrance and hailed to the warriors which stood guard.
"Princess Aslaug requests an audience with Earl Thenn Odinson The One Eyed." The captain spoke to my men who didn't say a word.
Anguy made a gesture and one of the guards walked toward my tent to alert me.
"My Lord, Some Princess asks entry into the camp." My warrior spoke aloud from outside.
During this time I was cuddling with Skade as we chatted, I'd told her how I had treated the haughty Princess and Skade seemed to love the thought of a beautiful Princess being tortured how Aslaug was.
"I wish I was there to hear her scream my Love~" Skade spoke cutely and kissed my cheek and nuzzled into my neck, but I had to respond to my guard outside.
"I'll be right there Varni." I spoke aloud to my warrior and soon I heard Varni running off back to the entrance.
"Let's go my Love, I want you to meet the royal whore." I spoke and Skade stood with a happy smile.
My blonde murder kitten Helped me into my armor and bear cloak dutifully before I grabbed my helmet and placed it on, I looked down and saw my little Seeress looking at me with stars in her eyes.
After patting her head a bit as she meweled cutely We both stepped outside of the tent as Skade stayed clinging to my arm happily.
We slowly walked to the edge of the camp as more and more of my men piled in behind us as their heavy armor jingled and clanged with every step.
Before long we reached where Aslaug and her party was waiting patiently, the sight of all my warriors approaching fully armed and armored unnerved the women greatly but they had to follow the orders from their Princess no matter how much they wished to flee.
"What do you wish to speak about?" I spoke aloud and I saw Aslaug's hands trembling as she gripped onto her reigns, Skade saw this and delighted in her terror.
But Aslaug was a good actress so she quickly composed herself.
"W...We wish to join you all in camp, It is much safer for us Women if we stay with such a famed hero and his loyal warriors who are famed throughout the lands." Aslaug spoke with and I saw Ragnar approaching from beside us after leaving his tent to see what the commotion was.
I could immediately sense his awe at the beautiful woman who looked at us from atop her silver horse, Aslaug's beautiful face and glimmering eyes were like diamonds in front of a ***
I turned to the lovestruck idiot and gestured for him to come over, he snapped out of his daze after feeling a shiver run down his back then walked over to me.
"Yes Brother?" Ragnar spoke while looking at me but kept taking glances at the princess.
"What do you say about letting them in with us? I honestly have no interest in the woman but I can see that you do." I spoke quietly and I saw him fumble his words nervously before nodding.
"Very well." I spoke and patted his shoulder then turned back to Aslaug.
"You all may join us during our short stay, I hope we can all get along." I spoke and stared directly into Aslaug's eyes as she squirmed nervously in her saddle from fear that I'd attack her again.
Before long the trail of women moved into our fortified camp and they found the right area to set up their tents.
Aslaug's servants made several trips to retrieve their belongings as several of my men moved to help them, most just wanted to fuck the servants and Shieldmaidens of Aslaug.
There was one glaring exception however, I saw Balgrud the Giant Berzerker staring with a slight snarl at the Shieldmaiden Captain Hilf.
The armored woman did her best to avoid eye contact and remain at a distance from the huge brute though.
I returned to my tent as Aslaug watched on in surprise that the little cute Skade was like a puppy on my arm, she was both in shock and strangely felt a pang of jealousy in her heart.
Aslaug had planned to marry the most significant man of the age and become engrained in legend just as both her parents were.....and now she was treated like a whore and forced into a relationship to a lesser man whom she didn't know or had heard of.....
She began to inwardly believe it was her fault that everything ended up the way it did.
Aslaug wondered what might have happened if she'd only kept her legs closed a bit longer...what if she had been a pure maiden, surely Thenn would have taken her without a second thought....would she be just as happy the little blonde girl who seemed to be head over heels with Thenn....Would she have been treated as kindly and gently as her?
Aslaug shed a tear while watching the collosal man and his little tattooed lover entering their tent.
she wiped the tear from her face just as another man approached her.
He had dirty blonde hair and an unkempt beard, Aslaug could smell his greasy hair and beard before the man even reached her.
Before the Viking could stand beside Aslaug, her shieldmaiden stood between them and spoke Agressively.
"What business do you have with the Princess?" Hilf asked Ragnar.
"I merely want to make friendly conversation as befits such bored souls such as us..." Ragnar spoke as charmingly as possible while looking over at Aslaug.
The Princess turned to him.
"And who might you be? I doubt one of Earl Thenn's subordinates would have the courage to approach me...." Aslaug asked while looking into Ragnars piercing Blue eyes.
"Ragnar Sigurdson, I am the man who discovered the route to the West and twin to Thenn..." Ragnar spoke to try and impress the Princess.
Aslaug was inwardly dissapointed that this was Thenn's Twin....she expected someone as tall, handsome, and strong as that monster....at least she'd get a decent man out of this terrible position she was in but alas it was not to be.
instead, she was met by a short dirty man with a messy beard.....'at least his eyes are pretty' Aslaug thought then put on her best interested face.
"Oh really~ Will you tell me more about it on the way to the Ash Tree~" Aslaug spoke with a playful tone in her voice, as a certified slut she was great at acting the part when necessary.
"It would be my pleasure Princess..." Ragnar spoke and gave her his most charming smile, Aslaug wasn't impressed but she giggled playfully and joined him on a stroll down to the Great Tree...
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(At Gamla Stan [Modern Day Stockholm]...)
My warrior Osgerth stood in front of King Horik as the man read the scroll given to him.
"Hmm...So Borg does not want to sell....." King Horik spoke aloud and turned to his Advisors for assistance.
They whispered amongst themselves as my warrior stood emotionless, I had ordered him to not give any answers or advice pertaining to the situation at Töreboda.
Osgerth knew to only deliver the message and return with the response, he honestly didn't give a dusty fuck if Horik accepted or denied the deal since either way he'd already been paid from the 100 Pounds of Gold brought to Kattegat.
As he daydreamed about his wife and seven sons at home Horik and His Cronies whispered amongst themselves.
"You cannot accept such an insulting offer my King, It would damage your reputation..." One man spoke.
"But this would see us at peace and making coin from the vast wealth of the minerals..." Another responded.
"It's not fucking worth it if King Horik's name is tarnished when he concedes to a damn Jarl!!!" Another whispered angrily.
"My King, if we were to enter this fight we should get the assistance of Thenn Odinson...." Spoke one man and the rest nodded.
"Yes Liborg is right, Thenn's forces are reknown for their strength and he is a tactician like none before him..." Another spoke and the King nodded before turning to my warrior Osgerth.
"You there, What would your Lord say to an alliance with me if I were to theoretically come into conflict with Jarl Borg?" King Horik asked my warrior.
"I have no idea King Horik, Thenn's mind is his own....Our Lord orders and we follow without question." Osgerth spoke proudly.
"You seem awfully prideful of that...." King Horik spoke with some jealousy, his men don't act with even a fraction of the reverence which Osgerth was showing.
"Aye King Horik, Earl Thenn leads us to wealth and victory, he's saved our lives multiple times, when our families are sick he uses his skills from his younger years to heal them....And he treats every single one of us like family." Osgerth spoke proudly and Horik's face soured.
"How can a Lord treat you like family? Would it not be an insult upon his nobility?" King Horik asked pointedly.
Osgerths eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
"I'm not sure....but I once saw him feed a Balt man his own children after a raid because he ambushed and killed one of us.....The anger in his eyes for the death of Kikard was clear as day, almost as if he'd seen his own family killed.....i don't know if that insults his nobility but it doesn't matter to us who serve him."
Osgerth spoke firmly and King Horik nodded before taking a parchment and begining to write a response.
[Earl Thenn, inform Jarl Borg that this scheme of his is an insult.... should he not accept a payment for the lands I shall have no choice but to bear my arms and shields against him and make him obey.]
Was all King wrote before passing the scroll to his Steward who rolled and sealed the scroll before placing it in a wooden cylinder and passing it back to Osgerth.
"Deliver this to your Lord." The Steward spoke while handing the scroll to Osgerth.
"Very well." My warrior spoke and walked out of the room, he wasn't even slightly interested in what the letter contained.
Before long he reunited with my four other warriors and their guide and they rode out of Gamla Stan and back to Töreboda.
The guide from Jarl Borg turned to Osgerth.
"So? What'd the King say?" The sketchy man spoke but Osgerth simply moved his gourd of Mead to his lips and drank the entire thing before grabbing the next one.
"I have no fucking idea, i wasn't listening..." Was all Osgerth said and my four other warriors laughed heartily at his response.
Borgs assigned Guide grew sour at his response but couldn't say anything against his words.
They continued on back to Töreboda along the now familiar road.....
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(Midnight At Ash Tree)
I walked hand in hand with Skade as we slowly reached the base of the massive tree.
It's canopy seemed to cover half the sky once we reached its trunk and the gnarled old bark nearly glowed in the moonlight.
We both began removing our clothes peice by piece slowly as the full moon shined upon both of us.
I threw down my pauldrons, I tossed my helmet and sword....She removed her Fur coat and leather boots...then her tight pants to reveal her supple naked body.
In the end we were both completely naked except for the wooden bangle on my wrist which Althea had carved for me all those years ago.
This would be the place where Skade and I became one.
Skade and I both kneeled down before the Ash Tree as it's strong magic resonated with us both.
Skade trembled for a moment but I held her hand gently and she relaxed her body and mind from the safe feeling emanating from me.
Both of us turned to each other and locked eyes for a few long moments while indulging the the sight of each other.
Soon enough Skade reached for a ceremonial silver knife then took my large hand with her dainty fingers
She meekly made a small nick on my thumb.
Bright Red blood seeped out slowly as she did her best to be gentle.
Then she passed the knife to me and I took her small soft hand.
She looked at me lovingly as I made a tiny cut on her thumb with the razor sharp knife, her delicious smelling blood seeped out and I set the knife aside.
Skade smiled at me sweetly before I felt a tremor of magic from the enormous ash tree arms Skade went into a trance.
She brought her bleeding thumb to my forehead and smeared her blood on my head while speaking in prayer.
"ᚨᛖᛊᛁᚱ ᚨᚾᛞ ᚢᚨᚾᛁᚱ ᚨᛒᛟᚢᛖ ᚹᛁᛏᚾᛖᛊᛊ ᛗᛖ"
"ᚦᛁᛊ ᛒᛚᛟᛟᛞ ᚹᛁᛚᛚᛁᛜᛚᛁ ᚷᛁᚢᛖᚾ ᛒᛁᚾᛞᛊ ᛗᛖ ᛏᛟ ᚺᛁᛗ ᛁᚾ ᚠᛚᛖᛊᚺ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛁᚾ ᛊᛟᚢᛚ"
"ᛁ ᚷᛁᚢᛖ ᛗᛁᛊᛖᛚᚠ ᛏᛟ ᚦᛁᛊ ᛗᚨᚾ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛊᚺᚨᛚᛚ ᛊᛖᚱᚢᛖ ᚺᛁᛗ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛁᛊ ᚹᛟᚱᛚᛞ ᚨᚾᛞ ᚦᛖ ᚾᛖᚲᛊᛏ"
Skade spoke in her magical trance and immediately returned to normal as a flock of Crows began to squawk loudly in response from all around.
Then I looked at my beautiful little Skade and rubbed my blood on her forehead slowly as I spoke aloud.
"ᚨᛖᛊᛁᚱ ᚨᚾᛞ ᚢᚨᚾᛁᚱ ᚨᛒᛟᚢᛖ ᚹᛁᛏᚾᛖᛊᛊ ᛗᛖ"
"ᚦᛁᛊ ᛒᛚᛟᛟᛞ ᛗᚨᚱᚲ ᚲᛚᚨᛁᛗᛊ ᚺᛖᚱ ᚨᛊ ᛗᛁᚾᛖ"
" ᛁ ᚨᚲᚲᛖᛈᛏ ᚦᛁᛊ ᚷᛁᚱᛚ ᛁ×ᛗ ᚠᛚᛖᛊᚺ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛊᛟᚢᛚ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛊᚺᚨᛚᛚ ᚺᛖᛖᛈ ᚺᛖᚱ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛁᛊ ᚹᛟᚱᛚᛞ ᚨᚾᛞ ᚦᛖ ᚾᛖᚲᛊᛏ" I chanted aloud and my mouth spoke in the Ancient Tongue.
The Crows around us squawked loudly and flew away as I looked into Skades beautiful Gray Eyes... then we both felt an immense pressure from the tree beside us.
Complete silence ensued as not even the wind blew or the insects chirped as we both stayed frozen in place looking at each other.
Then a bright light flashed from the tree and I could hear a beautiful humming noise which seemed ethereal.
{"HMMM~HM~HMMM~HM~HMMMMM"}
It was the same tune Mother hummed when cuddling with me only this seemed otherworldly.
Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a long billowing white dress amd the faint sounds of footfalls as the a person which nearly glowed walked closer and closer after apperating out of nowhere but my entire body was frozen in time and I could not turn.
Then the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard entered my ears....the sounds of this woman's voice shook me to my core.
"~DID YOU LIKE MY HUMMING THENN~....~I NOTICED HOW MUCH YOU ENJOYED IT WHEN ALFHILD DOES IT AS YOU CUDDLE INTO HER BIG BREASTS~"
The Ethereal voice sounded as the woman walked closer and closer until I could only see a billowing white dress and milky white legs that were exposed through slits on the side.
Oh how I wished to turn my head to take a better glance at this woman but my entire body was frozen in time.
I was sure she was unbelievably beautiful and her thick thighs were almost close enough to bite and lick to my heart's content....if only I could move.
As soon as I had that thought a giggle emerged from the woman, it was a beautiful clear and bright sound which reminded me of ringing bells.
She giggled for a long moment then moved a soft hand on my head and rubbed it gently.
"~WHAT A NAUGHTY BOY~.....~HAVING SUCH THOUGHTS ABOUT ME~.....~NOT THAT I MIND, BUT THAT IS NOT FOR NOW~"
The woman spoke while stroking my head, every sensation from her touch was more pleasurable than an orgasm as I felt a tsunami of endorphins rushing through my body at her gentle loving touch.
Then she stopped stroking my hair and spoke once more.
"~THE GODS HAVE HEARD YOUR OATH THENN AND SKADE~"
Then the woman moved to walk away, before dissapearing she stopped and spoke once more.
"~IM SORRY I DONT HAVE ANY MILK FOR YOU THENN~.....~PERHAPS ONE DAY AFTER YOUR BABY IS IN ME AND MY BELLY IS AS SWOLLEN AS ALTHEA'S I'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME FOR YOU~"
The woman spoke and diasapeared in a blinding flash of light.
Immediately our bodies were unfrozen and I was able to breathe and move once more.
I looked at Skade and saw her eyes roll back and her body become limp as she fainted.
I immediately grabbed her naked body gently and pressed it onto mine as she breathed softly.
I cuddled her into me and that is when I sensed the faint scent of something otherworldly in the air....it was like honey of the gods.
I moved Skade and myself toward the massive tree and I rested her against my chest while waiting for her to recover.
As I waited there my cock throbbed hard, I'd never felt such an overwhelming desire to impregnate someone so much....Only Althea came close on our wedding night.
But for now I waited with my murder kitten as her soft cute breaths entered my ears...
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